VR6 OIL

[dav 0]

What oil do all you VR6 owners use?

 

I am using Synta Quantum Semi Synthetic 10w40 at the moment, but i am thinkinking of changing over to Mobil 1 15w40.

 

Just like to know what oil you other chaps a running and how much your VR uses?

[Rams 0]

Mate

 

I was told to use the stuff that VW sell by a mechanic but talking to a chap that I became mates with at VW he said our mechanics use castrol GTX Magnetec. He said they use that in their own cars too so that says to me its a good oil.

 

I have used it in my VR for a while now, its not over priced and protects from the moment you turn the key.

 

I used loads of it before as I had a broken down head gasket, so I cant give you an accurate amount of what I use. I had the head done a few weeks ago an dI checked the level and it was fine.

 

When you top it up, dont top up to the max line, always keep it above min and just under max was what I was told by a vw mechanic. Maybe thats due to damaging your engine if you over fill it?

[sc16v 0]

Cant go wrong with GTX maganatec like Rams says.

 

Dont use Mobil 1 0/40w or Castrol RS 0/40W way do thin. the amount cars ive seen wrecked or run poor when the've used these. :(

[vr6storm 0]

i normally use the VW synta gold.......but at my last oil+filter change managed to pick up some esso ultron(normally sells for something silly at esso garages...£10 per litre :shock: ) for real cheap and have that in mine just now.............i normally average approx 10k miles pa.........and get the oil+filter changed every 5k miles or 6 months whichever is sooner......since getting that in iv'e noticed my oil temps have come down a bit on long journeys 8).....as for useage i'm just about on 60k and had the oil+filter changed at 58k and in that time/miles i've used maybe 700ml's of the 1l bottle i bought for topping up........sounds alarming but its well within VW's tolerances which is roughly 1l per 1000km's

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I don't buy into Magnatec, how can an oil have 'magnetic' qualities? and what use would that be on alloy pistons anyway? Personally I'd rather have oil flowing round oil galleries and cooling piston skirts that clinging to parts like the advert would have you believe.

 

Just use the normal Quantum silver stuff.

 

Kev

[VR Zen 0]

I use synta gold because the fact it gets around the engine quicker when cold because its so thin.. :? only problem is the vr runs very hot and the oil seems to burn at high temp, i guess getting a oil cooler will help!

[Robch 0]

I use Valvoline 15w 40 Fully synthetic. The VR runs so smooth with this. Much smoother than with Magnatec IMO.

[Rams 0]

kevhaywire, Fair point mate, however, the oil will flow around all the galleries whilst sticking / protecting the pistons etc.

 

They must have an additive to be able to give better protection from the initial start up.

 

I will do some investigating with Castrol, and try and get some clean facts.

 

I was worned away by the parts manager who is heavily into modifying his Golf VR6 and he sware by magnatec and he uses it and he said the VW workshop use it in the cars they service. Check the price of teh vw oil, it seems cheap to me and if VW are recommending it, they must be able to tell the difference with many ebgines once they have asked the customer what oil they use and see the condition of the engine when maybe doing some engine related work.

 

Like I said, its not a huge difference, but you made it sound like it clogs the engine when it doesnt. :D

[Scott 0]

Yeah but if the oil sticks to the surfaces then whats the betting that the dirt in the engine will stick to the engine too (fine shards of metal, etc) ????

 

I'd stick with silver synta...

[Rams 0]

Oil sticks to the parts, it doesnt glue the oil to the pistons etc, it simply attratcs oil to the metal on start up giving extra protection!

 

If you have 2 oils, one that sticks to your engine straight away on start up and one that doesnt, there is a higher chance of engine damage with the oil that takes longer.

 

Let me see what info I can get from Castrol and we can compare the results. I am not argueing with you, I just have a difference of ipinion.

 

:D

[Rpmayne 0]

10w40 Magnatec, although it gets through a bit. Has anyone else read that its better to use 15w40 in the summer and 10w40 in the winter due to the average higher ambient temperature? Supposedly reduces the amount it drinks, can start getting abit expensive.

 

Had a result at a petrol station on the way to Dartmouth. Just so happened the tills had broken when I went to pay for a £22 bottle of Magnatec. The cashier assured me it was £14.00, couldn't hold in the suprise but got it for that anyway! Should have got more!! :D

[dav 0]

Seem that we all have our own likes when it comes down to our oil preferences.

The reason that I was thinking about moving to Mobil 1 (15w50) is that firstly I think that Quantum Synta Semi Synthetic is a bit too thin, as VR tend to drink oil anyway this cant be good. Secondly a friend of mine who works at a VW Dealership was sent on a oil training day held at the Mobil 1 HQ, and came back very impressed indeed and the news from the inside at VW is that they are apparently going to switch over to Mobil 1 in the near future.

 

Also:

Quantum Synta Semi Synth (10w40)

Mobil 1 fully synth (15w50)?

 

A fully synthetic oil with a higher viscosity that the semi synthetic oil.

 

 

Bellow taken from the Mobil 1 Web site.

 

Applications:

Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ 15W-50 is perfect for hot-running (we all know that VR's love to or seem to run hot) or heavily loaded vehicles and high-tech imported cars. It offers an extra level of protection, even under extreme use.

 

It would be interesting to see if we can se up some kind of group buy??

[Rams 0]

Thanks for the info, sounds fair enough.Im not cussing your mate that went to the mobil 1 HQ but if he had gone to Castrol or Quantim etc HQ he would have come back very impressed.

 

I know Mobil 1 is a great oil company and I have read article on cars running on Mobil 1 and still going strong. The oil grades are read like this for people who dont know.

 

For Eg. 15 / 50, the 15 part of the number is the viscosity, the 50 part of the number is the temperature the oil thins out at. If im wrong im sure I will get a response? VR6 Storm? Joke :D

[Kevin Bacon 5]

A few years ago I wrote to both Mobil and Castrol asking them for info on their oils and to prove they are 100% man-made.

 

Castrol sent me a MASSIVE dossier on their products, including their superb Castor based RS 10/60W oil, which they sadly no longer make. Fully detailed, spec sheets, type approval certificates....the works.

 

Mobil refused to comment.

 

Oil is very difficult to rate since you are entirely trusting of the manufacturer that it's doing what it claims. Bore wear is a very slow process and they know most people will get shot of their car LONG before it needs a new engine. So knowing you'll never check the engine internals and that oil doesn't give you extra hp, they play on it and can basically claim what they like because it can't be proven outside of controlled testing environments.

 

Mobil 1 15/50W is good because of it's larger viscosity range, heat absorbtion and anti-shearing qualities at very high temps (up to 300 deg sustained), but it's just so darned expensive. You're talking £60 to fill a VR6 and it'll drink half that over a couple of thou... Sod that.

 

Ta

Kev

[dazzyvr6 0]

big name oil is expensive,a mate of mine works for a large motor factor and he says there cheaper oil has got a better spec than some of the more expensive well known brands

[Rams 0]

Comma is one for a start, thats made by Shell

[macca 0]

Have been using comma after factors recommened it, seams good, but how can we tell whats good and bad?? impossible, you have to go with your instinct or the hype.

[Mike Edwards 0]

Rams. In a word - no.

 

The 15w is the viscosity when cold (the W satnds for winter). i.e. the oil is as thick as 15 weight single-grade oils when it's cold.

 

The 50 is the viscosity when hot i.e. the oils is as thick as 50 weight single-grade oil when hot.

 

In practice, this means that the viscosity of the oil varies less with temperature than a single-grade oil.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Rams. In a word - no.

 

The 15w is the viscosity when cold (the W satnds for winter). i.e. the oil is as thick as 15 weight single-grade oils when it's cold.

 

The 50 is the viscosity when hot i.e. the oils is as thick as 50 weight single-grade oil when hot.

 

In practice, this means that the viscosity of the oil varies less with temperature than a single-grade oil.

 

Correct. In the good old days, it wasn't uncommon for people to use 2 oil weights a year. A 15 grade in the winter and a 40 or 50 grade in the summer.

 

Kev

[tonytiger 0]

Right, I've read this and other threads on which oil to use in a VR but I'm still confused. :?

 

My car is going for a service this week, and having used 10W40 semi-synthetic since I got the car last October I was going to swtich to 15W40 semi-synth (if it exists) for the summer (if we actually get one). But I now see that some people just run 10W40 all year, some run 15W50 and others something else again.

 

So, please could somebody sum-up the difference between the typical grades used (as simply as possible) and the benefit of using different grades in winter and summer (and was this something VW ever recommended).

 

Cheers,

Tony.

[Mal77 0]

I have spoken to my mate thats work in a very well known VW dealership, these guys were one of only 2 dealerships that had the first R32 Golf in for sale, so they are big, and he says 0-40, 5-40 are only good for cars like Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, etc etc,

 

Golfs, Corrado's including VR's, G60's are best to use one grade all year round, he has advised me to use 10/40 Castrol Magnatec, for which he uses in his MK1 Golf 2000cc 16 Valve, which is one of the fastest on the roads,

 

The best way to maintain the engine is regular oil and filter changes, I know it might sound too much, but I do a oil change every 1000 miles, and filter every 6000 miles,

 

my mileage during the year is just under 6K,

 

Hope this info helps guys.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Who is the 'well known dealer' then? I'm not aware of any famous ones!

 

I'm sorry but changing the oil every 1000 miles is plain daft :roll:

[Mal77 0]

Twickenham VW,

 

It might sound daft, but doing them regular might save me a lot of money in the future, I know I got a clean engine and it sure is improving the reliability of the engine, which cant be a bad thing now can it?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Changing the oil *that* frequently does nothing for the longevity of the engine. Especially when you're running 6 oil changes through the same filter!!!

 

80 to 90% of engine wear occurs during start-up. Doesn't matter how clean the oil is, nothing prevents that.

[Mal77 0]

So kev if that the case whats the best way of preventing all that wear during start up, coz I want to preserve this motor,